Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

Chapter 9: Notice

A/N: This was interesting to write.


When Retsu had informed Jushiro of her decision the following day, he'd furrowed his brow and pouted like a child, leaning his chin into a hand as he stared across the table at her. To be sure, he sincerely believed it to be a mistake. But Retsu had always been stubborn upon deciding on something, and he was quite sure that she wouldn't change her mind even for the life of him. Instead of further arguing his point, he leaned back in his chair, watching as the waiter arrived with their drinks.

He watched in uncomfortable silence as the water from the pitcher filled his glass, droplets spraying every which way as the ice began to crack and clink together. As Retsu was one of his dearest friends, Jushiro was not at all willing to watch her head down, what he believed to be, a self-destructive path. Were she to get too involved with and attached to Mayuri, she would inevitably end up resenting her choice, if not herself.

And even if she didn't, Jushiro still didn't trust the bastard in the slightest. He'd seen enough of the man's horrid temper and blatant disregard for regulations and ethics to know that he wasn't at all capable of caring for a woman like Retsu. It wasn't appearance so much as it was personality. Had Mayuri shown his face years before, Jushiro was sure that several female officers would have started up some kind of crazy fan club. What with her being a woman, it wouldn't be surprising for him to find out that Retsu was simply suffering from a strong physical attraction. But the way she talked about the man was like something out of a deranged nightmare, especially the soft gleam in her eye when she spoke his name.

It was sickening to know that Mayuri had her on a chain like this. Jushiro grimaced, tuning Retsu out as she further explained her reasoning. He didn't care, and he certainly didn't want to hear anymore about it. Even if she ended up hating him, he'd protect her from this devil. As long as he had something to say about it, Mayuri wouldn't so much as touch her.

"Jushiro, please," he heard her say, his brown eyes darting up to meet hers. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

The white-haired captain sighed, bringing the cool glass to his lips. He knew that it was wrong to be interfering in her personal affairs, but his protective instinct had overcome all rational thought. Setting the glass down, he brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, and whispered, "I'm just worried about you. I don't... I don't trust him."

He hated the fact that she didn't respond, having easily resigned herself to staring across the street at a group of children who ran about in front of the shops, pulling up colorful weeds and calling them flowers. Jushiro sighed, trying to get Retsu's attention as the waiter returned to deliver their meal.

"I know you don't," she replied calmly, folding her napkin into her lap, "but I do."

The way she looked at him was a clear indication of her distaste for his cold behavior, but he was beyond the point of caring. Certainly, she would hate him for interfering, for saving her from a lifetime of regret, but it was worth it so long as she came out of this without a mark to show for it.

A sudden barrage of curses, honking car horns, and giggling women reached Jushiro's ears, causing him to roll his eyes. He glanced to the left, not at all surprised to see Shunsui strolling through traffic with two beautiful women hanging on him. The white-haired captain glowered at his friend, shaking his head as if to say, "You came at the worst possible time." In response to his sour expression, the smiling Shunsui slipped into the empty chair beside Jushiro, calling on the waiter for a bottle of the finest wine available.

"Nice day, isn't it?" the hopeless drunkard whistled, failing to notice Jushiro's death glare. "And what a surprise to find the two of you here."

Jushiro shook his head as the waiter came back, insisting that he take the wine as far away from his friend as possible. As soon as the young man had departed, Jushiro scowled at Shunsui again, grabbing him by the sleeve and pulling him aside.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, eyes wide. "I'm in the middle of a crisis!"

Shunsui merely shrugged, waving stupidly at the women who had begun blowing him kisses. "Now, now," he chided, winking at the girls, "let's not get carried away. I'm only here to find you," he said, poking Jushiro in the chest with a finger. "You've been gone longer than you originally told the old man, so I thought I'd come find you."

"No, you thought you'd come find someone to fool around with," Jushiro said through his teeth, pointing openly at the scantily dressed women. "If you're just here to make me miserable, don't bother. I already have plenty to handle without you here nagging me." The white-haired man then ushered the girls to Shunsui's side, insisting that they go take care of their "business" somewhere away from the public eye.

"What was that about?" Retsu asked inquisitively as Jushiro returned to the table.

He shook his head, quietly informing her that Shunsui was, once again, drunk and causing problems. "He's fortunate that Nanao's not here to strangle him..." Jushiro muttered, almost hoping that the angry lieutenant would be waiting for his friend when he returned to the Soul Society. "It would really serve him right for interrupting us and... messing around like that."

The idea that Shunsui was so shameless was distracting. Now, he had three people to worry about, and one to chase off, all while trying to come up with a very vague reason as to why he'd remained in the World of the Living longer than planned. But getting chewed out by his old teacher wasn't his main concern at all. He'd easily taken the heat from the old man several times before, and another ten minutes in the hot seat wouldn't kill or degrade him.

His eyes widened as Retsu stood, asking to be excused, as she had much more to take care of before the day was through. Jushiro mimicked her movements, his eyes quiet as she thanked him for a wonderful time, asking if he would be available again the next day. He nodded, a false smile spreading across his face as he watched her hurry down the street, turning back only to wave at him. Had he been more in the mood, he would have given her a more genuine farewell. But seeing her like this was disconcerting. Jushiro had no doubt that she had things to do, but he was certain that one of those things had something to do with the detestable bastard.

# - # - #

It wasn't at all surprising that the Quincy boy had found him, what with Retsu having dragged him to that damned school four days out of the last week, parading around and attracting unneeded attention. She hadn't even bothered to operate under the guise of a false name, which was likely how the Quincy had recognized him. The boy's threats were empty, although he hadn't expected something like this to happen. They didn't really mean anything, his angry words, but the whole situation was still just as irritating, as he had plenty to do without trying to coax a stupid, vengeful, hormone-induced teenager into letting go of his jacket.

The boy's eyes were anything but friendly, matching the almost comical scowl that had plastered itself to his face. Had the Quincy not regained his powers, Mayuri would have said something to further anger him, but, seeing how things had gone so well for him the first time they'd met, he decided not to push his luck. But it was boring, being pressed against the wall by this brat, half-listening to him drone on and on about his decrepit old grandfather. It was understandable for him to be pissed off, but it certainly didn't merit such childish behavior.

When Uryu finally quieted down, breathing heavy and arms trembling, Mayuri made a face, rolling his eyes to match. "Are you quite finished?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "I have much better things to do than listen to your pathetic whimpering."

The Quincy flinched, giving the captain the opening needed to shove him away. Not only had the little bastard bored him half to death, but he'd left a rather uncomfortable pain in Mayuri's shoulder, which was reluctant to leave him alone. The captain shrugged, a vain attempt to fight off the plaguing pain, before turning his back on the Quincy, ignoring the boy's irritating voice as it grated upon his last nerve. Mayuri shook his head, pushing aside the ideas that shown up. Ideas that would have been classified as "certifiably insane" by human psychiatrists.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Uryu shouted, grabbing the captain by the shoulder again. "Don't you dare walk away from me, you bastard!"

Mayuri grimaced, almost wishing that the loudmouthed Quincy had killed him. That way, at least, he wouldn't have to listen to this useless tantrum. "My god," he hissed, waving a hand at the wide-eyed boy, "you really are a bother. Why don't you go do something more productive with your little friends? I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to listen to depressing stories about a decrepit old bastard."

The shock of the impact was, once again, completely unexpected. Mayuri blinked several times, still trying to process what had just happened. Judging by the sudden pain in his jaw, as well as the Quincy's raised fist, the brat had struck him. And in the face, no less. A frightened gasp grabbed his attention, and he turned to see Retsu standing several feet away, eyes wide with shock. She stepped forward, pulling the two of them apart almost threateningly as she proceeded to chew them out about acting like children.

But Mayuri paid her no mind. For, when the Quincy was gone, it was him who would end up on the receiving end of the woman's temper. Almost as quickly as the thought shot through his head, the boy was gone, and Retsu was glowering at him, acting almost as if she were his mother, which made Mayuri rather uncomfortable.

"What were you doing?" she demanded, poking him in the chest with a finger.

He shrugged, now realizing that he was going to need more than just an Aspirin to kill off the buzzing pain. "Don't give me that look," he said, taking a step back. "You know damn well that I had nothing to do with this." Mayuri turned and muttered some dark curses under his breath.

Retsu's eyes seemed to widen, if at all possible, at his statement. "I saw you! I heard what you said! How can you say that you had nothing to do with this? Clearly, you're involved, otherwise that nice boy wouldn't have sunk to your level!" She was clearly trying to intimidate him, which was all but impossible as she couldn't even bring herself to shout.

"Quibbles!" Mayuri retorted, waving a hand as if to dismiss her words.

She turned on him, shaking her head as she strolled down the street and up to the apartment complex, not once looking back. As she went, leaving Mayuri to stare after her, a smirk on his face. Even if the woman didn't have the courage to shout at him, her nerve was sincerely impressive. Perhaps, if she had been more abrasive whilst in the Soul Society, he would have taken notice of her much sooner.


Onward to chapter ten!